Middle Egyptian IIThe sḏm=f

rdj with the sḏm=f: "Cause That"

rdj "give" followed by a sḏm=f means "cause that, let": rdj=f sḏm=j "he let me hear".

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rdj means "give" (The Irregular Verbs). Followed by another sḏm=f, it takes on a second meaning that you will see constantly in narrative.

Key idea

rdj + a sḏm=f means "cause that …, let …": rdj.n=f sḏm=j "he let me hear, he caused me to hear". The command form jmj works the same way: jmj sḏm=f "let him hear!".

Why it works

Think of "give" in English: "give him to understand" means "cause him to understand". Egyptian went further. What rdj "gives" here is a whole clause, sḏm=j "I hear", so "he gave that I hear" becomes "he let me hear". The second verb keeps its own subject, which is why the sentence has two suffix pronouns.
rdj.n=f sḏm=j "he let me hear": two verbs, two subjects.
EgyptianWord for wordTranslation
rdj.n=f sḏm=jhe gave (that) I hearhe let me hear
rdj.n nsw ꜥnḫ=jthe king gave (that) I livethe king let me live
jmj sḏm=fgive (that) he hear!let him hear!
rdj.n=j ḫpr=fI gave (that) it come into beingI caused it to come into being

Worked example: Translate

Translate rdj.n ḥm=f sḏm=j mdt.
  1. rdj.n ḥm=f: "His Majesty gave" (the sḏm.n=f of rdj).
  2. Then a sḏm=f with its own subject: sḏm=j mdt "I hear the words".
  3. rdj + sḏm=f is "cause, let".

Answer: "His Majesty let me hear the words."

Worked example: Write it

Write "she let him hear" with rdj.n and sḏm.
  1. "She let": rdj.n=s.
  2. "He hear": sḏm=f.

Answer: rdj.n=s sḏm=f

The pattern is very common in royal inscriptions and in biographies, where officials boast of what the king caused or allowed: rdj.n ḥm=f jj=j "His Majesty caused me to come", that is, he had me brought. In the offering formula, by contrast, dj=f prt-ḫrw is plain "may he give": there the next word is a noun, not a verb with its own subject. Watch what follows rdj: a noun means "give"; a verb with a subject means "cause" or "let".

Worked example: A command with jmj

Translate jmj ꜥnḫ=f.
  1. jmj is the command "give!" used for rdj.
  2. A sḏm=f follows with its own subject: ꜥnḫ=f "he lives".
  3. "Give that he live" means "let him live".

Answer: "Let him live!"

Common mistake

Translating rdj as "give" here. "He gave, I heard" or "he gave my hearing" misses the construction. When rdj (or jmj) is followed directly by another verb with its own subject, read "cause" or "let". Check: count the subjects. Two verbs with two subjects in a row is the sign of this pattern.

Practice

Pass with 3 right answers, the last 2 in a row. Each right answer earns 3 XP.

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Builds on

Leads to

This is one of the top rungs of Middle Egyptian II.

Sources and further reading

  • Alan H. Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar (Oxford, 1927), Lesson XXIV: the imperative jmj
  • Alan H. Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar (Oxford, 1927), Lesson XXX: the sḏm.f after rdj
  • James P. Allen, Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs (3rd ed., 2014), on rdj with the subjunctive
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